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she thought, looking around at the store, seeing it as it would be, rather than as it was.
    Maybe Jenna didn’t know what she was doing, but she had Violet. Together they would make Grate Expectations a success. Jenna had class and money and something to prove, while Violet knew how to make it, no matter the odds. An unlikely match, she thought, but a good one.
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    Jenna added spices, one after the other. She quickly stirred the strips of flank steak, searing them with the spices, over the high heat. The late news played in the background and she was already on her second glass of wine.
    Telling herself it didn’t matter, that no one would know, she picked up the bowl containing the sauce she’d created on a whim and dumped it in the pan.
    The liquid snapped and boiled, reducing to almost nothing immediately. She rotated the pan, then used a spatula toflip the strips over one last time before dumping the contents onto the warm flour tortilla.
    After setting the hot pan on another burner, she turned off the heat and took a fortifying sip of wine.
    There it was. A taco of sorts. She’d been mentally playing with the idea of combining Mexican and Indian cuisine. Many of the spices were rooted in the same plants.
    Jenna grinned. Rooted in the same plants. That was funny. Then her smile faded as she turned her attention back to the food she’d made.
    She was nervous about tasting it. Experimenting used to be so easy, so joyful. Now it terrified her. Worse, it made her feel sick inside, as if something that had once been a part of her was now lost. She ached to be who she’d been before and didn’t want to admit that woman was probably gone forever.
    After squaring her shoulders, she picked up the taco and took a bite. The unusual blending of spices didn’t sit well on her tongue. She found herself unable to chew, let alone swallow. She spit the meat into the sink and flushed it down with water. After running the garbage disposal, she threw out the rest of the taco.
    When the tears came, she ignored them.
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    â€œI’m worried,” Beth said as she stacked rinsed dishes on the counter. “Jenna doesn’t know anything about making a store work. She doesn’t even like shopping, unless it’s for knives. Then she could spend hours. But this is different. This is working with the public.”
    â€œShe’s a smart girl,” Marshall said as he loaded the dishwasher. “Give her a chance. She’ll figure it out.”
    â€œShe doesn’t have much time to make it work. All her money is tied up in that place. Her savings and her half ofwhat she and Aaron got for that sad little house they owned. If the city hadn’t wanted to buy it and tear it down for that road, she would have had even less. You should have seen the inventory in her store. Thousands of dollars’ worth of kitchen equipment.”
    Her husband glanced at her. “Did you want her to start a business without something to sell?”
    â€œDon’t be logical. You know how I hate that.” Beth sighed, wishing she could learn how to let go. But when it came to anyone she cared about, she couldn’t help worrying. Obsessing, Marshall would say.
    â€œShe knows what she’s doing,” Marshall told her.
    â€œI’m not so sure. She’s a chef. She should be cooking. She understands that world. I wish I knew what really happened with Aaron.”
    â€œDo you think there’s more than she’s telling us? Isn’t Aaron cheating on her enough?”
    â€œIt is,” she admitted, although her mother’s instinct told her there was more to the story than Jenna had admitted. Something was different with her daughter. Not just the expected sadness and hurt from the breakup of a marriage. It was bigger than that.
    â€œJenna will figure out her store. Didn’t she hire someone?”
    â€œViolet. She’s wonderful. Pretty. Black hair and dark eye-liner.